Though they come from Indiana, Traveling, Broke and Out of Gas (which I think resonates more as a song title or an album title than a band name, but okay) will likely please the Tennessee musical palette. The quartet’s most recent of three full-length releases, last summer’s Till the Days Return, is 14 tracks of innovative indie folk and bluegrass with a heavy Appalachian influence. Rachael Yanni’s sterling vocals are unpretentious, sweet but not overly feminine, and pair nicely with her washboard and ukulele, along with husband/musical partner Cody Hall’s detailed lyrics, vocals, percussion and guitar, Davide Martzoli’s bass and vocal contributions, and Maxx Heathcote on lead guitar—though all band members frequently trade off instruments.
Traveling, Broke and Out of Gas began as a duo between Yanni and Hall, eventually expanding to a foursome and graduating from street corners and living rooms to venues, playing a folk/indie rock/country/bluegrass hybrid dubbed “bastard Americana.”
“Fireside Wine” has the beautiful hum of an upright bass, a violin that carries the tune, and Yanni’s vocals, which evoke and punctuate the image in the title. Background vocals come in during the last minute to pair with Yanni’s, as she sings
Open up another jug of wine
The last one that we had has run dry
The night is young
And the fire is still warm
The songs are involving, evocative, beautiful and textured. “Run for Your Lives” is driven by a distinct bass line that sets a tone both playful and intense, while “Cactus Smoke” is folky and tribal, a gypsy dance with a quivering guitar part and a deep rhythmic pulse that flares up and falls like fanning a flame, rushing like a river through a valley of instrumentation.
Traveling Broke and Out of Gas kicks off a tour of the South and West in February. They will stop in Murfreesboro on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 3 Brothers Deli.